Maybrick is spot on in his assessment. Their are positives to the internet, but their are also negatives, and the negatives are quite great from an economic and jobs standpoint.

The internet isn't the main reason for the job crisis however, since it's been going on for decades. All thanks to businesses wanting to pay employees below a living wage and thus taking their manufacturing offshore to pay people a few cents a day and slave them away while making maximum profit and usually producing shoddier quality than in the past as a result.

The lack of a real manufacturing industry in the U.S. is what's really killing the job market. Since once everything from clothing, automobiles to electronics was produced in the U.S., which offered plenty of well paying job opportunities along with quality product. But since they all went overseas, that leaves us with less 'interesting' jobs and little pay, and the companies profit greatly, while we suffer greatly in the process.

In fact, if you've ever watched the show Shark Tank. It's really sad and offensive seeing the 'sharks' attack some of the entrepreneurs for wanting to actually produce products in the U.S. One guy had a product that only cost one dollar to produce and would retail for $15. But this wasn't good enough for a 'shark' who wanted it produced overseas for a few cents and make 'more' profit(even though it's only a few cents more in this case). He didn't care about putting anyone in the U.S. to work and actually helping the job market and economy. And it's the attitudes of the 'sharks' that are really killing the job market in the U.S. since their isn't really much out their like their used to be.

I can't see it as destroying anything. It's hard to understate the technological impact this new technology is going to have and we've really had less than a generation to deal with it. So, things should seem pretty chaotic.

As far as our economic status, for, one, the internet has made a hell of a lot more jobs than it has "destroyed". There are entirely new industries, mostly outside of basic IT, that have sprung up as a result. From graphic design and SEO to programmers and customer support. So, I can't see the Internet "reducing" the number of total available jobs. There are plenty of statistics that support the statement that there are a lot of unfilled jobs out there that don't have enough applicants due to the inefficiency of our education system to adapt to the new work force expectations. But, I think it'll balance out in time.

As sad as I am to see "brick and mortars" going away, most of my concern has been that loss of the social aspect that they provided. I have to nostalgia for the loss of service. Right now, I buy most of my entertainment directly from the creators or the distributors. And I think that's a good thing. It removes what from an economical standpoint was an unnecessary "middle-man" that simply added to the final costs. I used to spend a lot of time, quite literally, traveling around the country, hunting down obscure records stores and paying relatively huge sums to buy obscure releases from obscure artists. Now, I pay less money and I pay it directly to the artists. And, I think that's a lot better both for me as a consumer and the artists as creators.

The guitar example is a good one though, and I'll agree that there are some products that really do benefit from being able to test them first. But, I also think that a lot of internet-based sales companies have adapted to that with a very gracious return policy. For example, I have never had any problems returning opened video cards to Microcenter just because they ended up not meeting my specific needs once I had installed them in my systems. It used to be that there were no returns once you opened them. But, Microcenter, for whatever behind the scenes reasoning they had, relaxed that policy, and now I know that I can impulse buy from them with little-to-no risk.

As for the loss of manufacturing, well, I think that's just a sad side effect of globalization and a natural effect of capitalization more than anything else. I don't think it's anything that will really ever come back to America. Our cost of living is too high compared to the rest of the world and that's just something that we're going to have to accept and adapt to. But, I also don't think it's really going to harm the country as a whole. It's just going to change things. This country has always prospered primarily as an innovator, not as a producer, as far as the global economy is concerned. And, I think that is something that we can continue to encourage.

As far as the working classes go, what I suspect we will see is a shift from manufacturing and selling to a service based industry. We may not build the cars, but we'll always need mechanics. And, I think that analogy can be stretched to just about every industry in one way or another. Particularly as complex technology becomes more integrated into our daily lives, we'll always need skilled technicians to repair and modify the technologies that we are increasingly depending on. But, it's up to the working classes (and all of us, really) to adapt to these new needs.

But regarding movies and the horror genre, I do kind of miss the hunt. Everything is just so accessible now, some of the fun is gone.

I will wholly agree and sympathize with this sentiment. Most my hobbies have been about collecting things, be it music, books, games, what-not. And it's been really shocking how much I miss that now that the Internet has made it so easy. I used to travel a lot, and one of my favorite perks about that was being able to go to little, obscure record and book stores to see what I could find.

And, I've equally been aware of how much of my "social currency" was owning things that were hard for others to get access to. In my youth, I was one of the guys that always had access to the "weird" stuff. So people coming over to watch some bizarre movie or listen to some out-there music was pretty common. But, now that all I have to do is send people a link or email them a file, it's really put a bit of a notch in my social life. Now, I have to survive on personality alone. And, man, is that a burden.

I'm not sure about destroying America, but it sure as hell is throwing things into chaos for a little bit until everyone figures out (besides Amazon, Apple, eBay, etc.) how to make it work financially.

I can't see it as destroying anything. It's hard to understate the technological impact this new technology is going to have and we've really had less than a generation to deal with it. So, things should seem pretty chaotic.

As far as our economic status, for, one, the internet has made a hell of a lot more jobs than it has "destroyed". There are entirely new industries, mostly outside of basic IT, that have sprung up as a result. From graphic design and SEO to programmers and customer support. So, I can't see the Internet "reducing" the number of total available jobs. There are plenty of statistics that support the statement that there are a lot of unfilled jobs out there that don't have enough applicants due to the inefficiency of our education system to adapt to the new work force expectations. But, I think it'll balance out in time.

As sad as I am to see "brick and mortars" going away, most of my concern has been that loss of the social aspect that they provided. I have to nostalgia for the loss of service. Right now, I buy most of my entertainment directly from the creators or the distributors. And I think that's a good thing. It removes what from an economical standpoint was an unnecessary "middle-man" that simply added to the final costs. I used to spend a lot of time, quite literally, traveling around the country, hunting down obscure records stores and paying relatively huge sums to buy obscure releases from obscure artists. Now, I pay less money and I pay it directly to the artists. And, I think that's a lot better both for me as a consumer and the artists as creators.

The guitar example is a good one though, and I'll agree that there are some products that really do benefit from being able to test them first. But, I also think that a lot of internet-based sales companies have adapted to that with a very gracious return policy. For example, I have never had any problems returning opened video cards to Microcenter just because they ended up not meeting my specific needs once I had installed them in my systems. It used to be that there were no returns once you opened them. But, Microcenter, for whatever behind the scenes reasoning they had, relaxed that policy, and now I know that I can impulse buy from them with little-to-no risk.

As for the loss of manufacturing, well, I think that's just a sad side effect of globalization and a natural effect of capitalization more than anything else. I don't think it's anything that will really ever come back to America. Our cost of living is too high compared to the rest of the world and that's just something that we're going to have to accept and adapt to. But, I also don't think it's really going to harm the country as a whole. It's just going to change things. This country has always prospered primarily as an innovator, not as a producer, as far as the global economy is concerned. And, I think that is something that we can continue to encourage.

As far as the working classes go, what I suspect we will see is a shift from manufacturing and selling to a service based industry. We may not build the cars, but we'll always need mechanics. And, I think that analogy can be stretched to just about every industry in one way or another. Particularly as complex technology becomes more integrated into our daily lives, we'll always need skilled technicians to repair and modify the technologies that we are increasingly depending on. But, it's up to the working classes (and all of us, really) to adapt to these new needs.

Many very good points. I will say though that it's relatively easy and easy to return something small like a computer part. Try returning something large and heavy and it could be very pricy. Most companies will gladly refund your money. Fewer will be willing to pay for the return shipping, although some certainly would. I'm sure a lot of them make a ton of money from customers who would rather not deal with the headache.

And the social components of brick and mortar stores is something that is disappearing. Service over the phone is just not as good as service in person, even bad service. I'd rather deal with a pimply faced kid who wouldn't know his ass from his elbow in person than I would some guy with a thick Indian accent I can barely decipher (no offense to Indians). No stores to go to, no reason to leave the house to shop, go to the theater, rent a movie, I'm really starting to believe that it's all happening to acclimate us to living underground in bunkers after the atmosphere becomes as toxic as the planet Venus.

I never once said that I never used the internet to purchase things, but nice try in attempting to squelch conversation.

I think Chomp is suggesting you're a hypocrite for saying "the internet is destroying America"... when you are on the internet right as you're saying it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by maybrick

typical internet troll.

As someone who had a review of mine bombed by this clown once, I 2nd that.

As for this thread, I think Anaestheus had the best reply by far. Whether your take on this is hopeful or dread-ful, it's a lot to think about and time is the deciding factor. But I believe, as far as adaptating, our economy is going to be hugely setback by dealing with climate change. Every year, it really begins to affect more and more people. Who knows how bad things will be this year? How many actual incomes will be affected? This is definitely something that hurts any expanding industry.

The reason it seems heartbreaking to lose physical media is because... these are technologies. Now we're losing them from man-made products - their last connection to where they came from and where everyone can understand them (somehow being a physical piece of product almost makes it like a bookshelf, ya know: something anyone can learn to build) - and into the fastest-developing / revolutionizing system for playing them as we have. But, if you ask me, being a piece of technology means it was made from moment-1 to go as far into the machine as it could go. Except for the printed word, which really should be the worry of people who think the internet is getting too big for its' britches, it was made for digitalizing, streaming, MP3'ing if it was made to be played in an electronic device.

But, yeah... what about the printed word? I've already heard people bashing the online video review as a way to devalue print-based critics. Or, art? I've seen people draw elaborate-looking paintings and pictures with what seems like just their mouse. But, when "great" art is analyzed, I hear the brush stroke is important. Will this sort of thing also be eliminated by growing technology? Will art thievery be more prevalent online?

To people that are saying that physical media is drying up, you must not live close to a hipster area where a new vinyl shop opens up every other month.

I do agree that not having to "hunt" for films in brick and mortar stores takes a bit of fun out of the process. However, everything else about the internet as a distribution model is just magical. Just look at the things you can do now with films that you couldn't do 10 years ago:

- Watch thousands of films instantly
- Rent films without a late fee
- Get any film you want at your door step in physical form (no matter where you are) in two days or less
- Have access to films wherever you are at any time thanks to mobile devices

I think Chomp is suggesting you're a hypocrite for saying "the internet is destroying America"... when you are on the internet

Or maybe I WANT to destroy America. Ever think of that?

At this point in time, I believe that you can't really get by too easily in life without using the Internet to some degree, and just because you use something doesn't mean that you don't have the right to critique it. Do I honestly believe the Internet is "destroying" America? Of course not. It's just exaggerated thread headline. Take it with a grain of salt. The Internet isn't all "good" though, no doubt about it. The anonymity of the web certainly has accentuated people's antisocial tendencies. Few know how to talk to people anymore and when they do they're rude. Of course, this is a generalization so take this with a grain of salt, too.

To people that are saying that physical media is drying up, you must not live close to a hipster area where a new vinyl shop opens up every other month.

I've recently returned to buying vinyl after a hiatus of ten years (needle broke and I never bothered to fix it. I've given up CDs for mp3s unless I can find them cheaper than its available on mp3. Bought a 180 gram Dead Boys LP last week and love it. Also waiting on the new Nick Cave. Guess I'm a hipster.

America could definitely use a Bart-Simpson-in-Australia style public-humiliation flogging. One they can't weasel out of.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 17thJuggalo

- Watch thousands of films instantly

Gotta bitch about this one just a little; have you seen the shit that's on Netflix: Watch Instant? Cruise the Horror section now and compare the classic films versus the out of control glut of direct-to-video crap that is literally responsible for having killed the genre and reducing its' value as an artform. I know I'm a member of the service because, frankly, I want to give movies that actually try to be good a chance. And, my list of movies I want to watch yet aren't on NF far outnumbers my Queue. However, so far, I can't complain about other genres. Except- where the fuck is stuff like Bikini Carwash Company, Spring Break Sorority Babes, etc? You'd think, unless NF is pruding out, this kind of shit would be everywhere. Cinemax had that stuff by the truckload in the 90's. Oh- NF's got trash. But it's all American Pie rip-offs... I want to watch nostalgic DTV trash. So far, all I've found is Miracle Beach. People are willing to watch new garbage for boobs, but 90's garbage isn't up to their standards? How trendy have things become when even softcore sex comedy collectors have turned into snobs?

But, yeah- there are a ton of tiny little 90's thrillers and ultra-indie satires and oddball comedies starring people you've never heard of. Though it really pisses me off that studios are still sitting on so many movies and considering them too good / profitable / whatever for NF. If I watched 5 movies a day, I could clear out my entire queue in half a year. What would they give me to fill it up again? I don't see much. If anything, they clear movies too fast for me to get to them all. So, I lose more than I get to watch. Again- less available on the actual site than I want there to be.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 17thJuggalo

- Get any film you want at your door step in physical form (no matter where you are) in two days or less

Well, except for all those Vaulted Disney flicks and cartoon collections.

To people that are saying that physical media is drying up, you must not live close to a hipster area where a new vinyl shop opens up every other month.

Yeah...just last Friday, there was a whole segment on NBC Nightly News about the recent increase of sales and interest in vinyl records. They interviewed a few hipsters to boot!

One dude was like, "I hate having to listen to the whole record just to get to my favorite songs, but the whole thing sounds better (than MP3's I presume?), so its worth the dedication to listen to it all". And apparently Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga still have their albums pressed on vinyl.

I felt like setting a flame to my entire vinyl collection right after viewing that segment.

As someone who had a review of mine bombed by this clown once, I 2nd that.

The Butt-hurt is strong in this one.

Seriously though, If you come on here to whine or give a film a negative review NOT because you didn't enjoy it, but just to go against the grain and 'challenge' others (aka cry for attention), I'm going to throw it back in your face. And yes I'm going to be immature about it because nothing bites pretentious, long-winded folk in the ass harder than good old fashioned internet trolling :-) Never been a fan of it myself, but it has its uses.

__________________Sara: "Have you ever heard of the three sisters?"Carlo: "You mean those black singers?"-Dario Argento's Inferno.